KR20060084253A - Method and apparatus for suspending screen saver during playing contents - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a screen saver during content playback.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling an operation of a screen saver when playing content includes receiving a command to play content, examining whether the execution of the screen saver can be controlled, and controlling the execution of the screen saver. If possible, calculating a playback time of the content, and changing a set time of the screen saver such that the screen saver is not executed during the playback time.

Screen saver, content, playback, virtual key

Description

Method and apparatus for controlling the operation of the screen saver when playing content {Method and apparatus for suspending screen saver during playing contents}

1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of a conventional screen saver.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a screen saver when content is played according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating extracting a content reproduction time of digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram for extracting a play time of multimedia data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an embodiment of extracting a play time of multimedia content according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a screen saver by generating a virtual external input signal when playing content according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a flowchart showing the overall process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a block diagram illustrating components of a multimedia apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: multimedia device 210: play time extracting unit

220: screen saver control unit 230: user input unit

A method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a screen saver during content playback.

Display devices such as PDPs, LCDs, and DTVs are being used in homes and industries. However, when such a display device outputs a still image for a long time, an error may occur in a device constituting the screen. This case is called screen burning, which directly affects the life of the display device. Therefore, a computer, a DTV, a notebook, etc. may detect a case where the still image is long and output a dynamic image or cut off power supplied to the display device, thereby reducing the possibility of an abnormality occurring in the device constituting the screen.

However, most of these screen savers operate when the user does not input for a certain period of time. For example, in the case of a computer, the screen saver runs if the mouse or keyboard is not operated for a certain period of time. On the other hand, even in the case of digital TV, the screen saver (screen saver) is operated when there is no input such as changing the channel or changing the volume through the remote control for a certain period of time (Korean Laid-open Application 10-2003-94483 ).

1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of a conventional screen saver. When the system starts or the user makes an external input, the screen saver stops (S101). Activate the counter while the screen saver is stopped. For example, if the input wait time for the screen saver to operate is 10 minutes, you can set the number 600 and count down one by one.

In this state of counting down, it is checked whether there is an external input for a preset time (S102). If there is an external input during this time, set the number to count down to 600 again. If there is no external input for the set time, the screen saver starts (S103). When the screen saver starts, it is checked whether there is an external input (S104). If there is an external input, the screen saver is stopped (S101). However, if there is no external input, the screen saver will continue to operate.

1 is the operation of most screensavers. However, when the user plays predetermined content, the operation of the screen saver may interfere with viewing the content. That is, when the set time in FIG. 1 is 30 minutes and the user plays the content of 1 hour in length, the screen saver may operate in the middle of playing the content if the user does not input any content at the time of playing the content. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a screen saver when playing content.

An object of the present invention is to control the operation of the screen saver while playing content.

Another technical problem of the present invention is to prevent the user from viewing content due to additional input in controlling the operation of the screen saver.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a screen saver during content playback.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling an operation of a screen saver when playing content includes receiving a command to play content, examining whether the execution of the screen saver can be controlled, and controlling the execution of the screen saver. If possible, calculating a playback time of the content, and changing a set time of the screen saver such that the screen saver is not executed during the playback time.

An apparatus for controlling the operation of a screen saver when playing content according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user input unit for receiving a command to play content, a play time extractor for calculating a play time of the content, and a content play for playing the content. And a screen saver controller configured to change a set time of the screen saver so that the screen saver is not executed during the playing time during which the content is played.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling an operation of a screen saver when playing content includes a user input unit for receiving a command for playing content, a content playing unit for playing the content, and a screen saver when there is no input for a predetermined time. And a screen saver control unit configured to drive the screen saver, wherein the user input unit generates a virtual input signal at an interval less than or equal to a set time of the screen saver so that the screen saver is not executed during the playing time of the content.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a screen saver when content is played according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user selects the content to start playback (S201). The header of the reproduced content includes information on the reproduction time of this content. Therefore, the playback time of the content can be calculated (S202). Extracting information on the reproduction time of the content will be described later. The set time of the screen saver is changed to be equal to or longer than the reproduction time of the content (S203). The set time of the screen saver means a time when the screen saver operates when there is no input for a predetermined time or when a still image is input. If the set time of the screen saver is shorter than the play time of the content, there is no need to change the play time of the content. Of course, since the setting time of the screen saver is set back after the playing of the content is finished or stopped, the playing time of the content can be changed regardless of whether the setting time of the screen saver and the playing time of the content are long or short.

After the change, the content is played (S210). Steps S203 and S210 may be performed in reverse order. Changing the screen saver's setup time after playback does not affect overall performance. During the playback of the content, if the user interrupts the playback of the content or moves the playback time backward or forward to interrupt the playback of the content (S211), the screen saver returns the set time to the original setting time. It is set (S212). When playing content without interruption, the process of S210 is performed.

If the user plays the content again (S220), the process starts from step S203. In S203, it is possible to calculate the time from the point of playback now to the point at which the reproduction of the content is completed and set the time as the set time of the screen saver. This can be applied by converting the time of each packet of the content if the length of the corresponding content and the location of the current content is located in the entire content, that is, information about the amount of the content already played and the amount to be played in the future. If the user no longer plays the content, exit.

3 is a diagram illustrating extracting a content reproduction time of digital broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of terrestrial DTV, the program and system information protocol (PSIP), which is an example of a protocol for transmitting broadcast program information, will be described. The event information tables (EITs) 91 and 92 are tables containing information about a program transmitted once every 500 ms. The EIT table lists information about programs that are broadcast on one channel. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, information about programs that have two EITs and is broadcast within 3 hours is listed.

Looking at the EIT 91, the event identifier 11, the start time 21 of the program, the broadcast length 31 of the program, the ETM location (Extended Text Message) 41, the title 51 of the program, the description 61 Has information about Since the broadcast length 31 of the program can be extracted here, the setting time of the screen saver can be changed based on this information. For example, in the channel represented by EIT 91, if the user is watching football live from the beginning, set the screen saver to 7200 seconds, or 2 hours or more, so that the screen saver does not operate in the middle of the live football broadcast. Can be.

The user may change the live broadcast to another channel while watching. When the user changes to the channel indicated by the EIT 92 and watches a special movie, the set time of the screen saver can be changed again. If the user changes the channel at 13 o'clock, the user selects a special movie. However, at 13:00, the special movie content has been performed for about an hour, so it is preferable to set the screen saver to 1 hour rather than 2 hours. The start time of the program can be obtained from the EIT, and since the current time can be known, the remaining play time of the content can be calculated. You can change the calculated remaining time to the set time of the screen saver.

4 is a diagram for extracting a play time of multimedia data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Digital broadcasting provides data services in addition to broadcasting contents. The screen saver can also be controlled when using data. In the case of data using an input device such as a remote control or a keyboard together, an input signal is generated from the input device. Therefore, when the interval of the input signal is shorter than the setting time of the screen saver, it is not necessary to change the setting time. However, if the input signal occurs longer than the set time, the user uses the data using another device that is not connected to the digital TV, or if the input is not required, the set time of the screen saver can be changed. have. The data event table (DET) 93 provides information on data services. Similar to the EITs 91 and 92 of FIG. 3, it includes an identifier 13, a start time 23, a time for reproducing or using data 33, an ETM location 43, a title 53, and a description 63. . Again, the set time of the screen saver can be changed by calculating the start time 23 and the play or use time 33.

5 is an embodiment of extracting a play time of multimedia content according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The structure shown in Fig. 5 is MainAVIHeader, which is defined in the AVI header file. MainAVIHeader has information on the total number of frames, the number of frames per second, and the maximum data rate. In this case, dividing the total number of frames by the number of frames per second to obtain the playback time of the entire content. In FIG. 5, the total number of frames is dwTotalFrame 82, and the number of frames per second is dwMicroSecPerFrame 81, so the total reproduction time can be obtained through dwTotalFrames / dwMicroSecPerFrame. Since the information of this header is included in the header of the AVI file, the total playing time can be known at the time of playing the content.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling a screen saver by generating a virtual external input signal when playing content according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The user plays the content (S251). A playback device, such as a DTV or set-top box, calculates a shorter time by reviewing the screen saver's setup time. For example, when the set time of the screen saver is 10 minutes, a time of about 9 minutes or 8 minutes is calculated (S252). This time is set as the interval for generating the virtual external input signal (S253). Generates a virtual external input signal at the interval set here. The time set in step S253 starts to count down (S260). If the countdown reaches 0 (S261), a virtual external input signal is generated (S262). This external input signal can generate a signal as if such an input occurred without the actual user inputting. It should be an input signal that does not disturb the user from watching the content. For example, turning the volume up or down a little, or sequentially muting toggle input signals twice in a row. The virtual keyboard signal, the virtual mouse signal, and the like also correspond to this. If it does not reach zero, it continues counting down.

If the content is being played back (S270), the process starts again in step S253. However, when the reproduction of the content is interrupted, the virtual external input is stopped (S271). If playback of the content is interrupted, the screen saver operates according to the set time of the screen saver.

7 is a flowchart showing the overall process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of controlling the screen saver described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6 may be implemented in a single device. Alternatively, the method of FIG. 2 or the method of FIG. 6 may be performed through whether the screen saver is controlled and whether the playback time of the content may be extracted using the module as a module. The user plays the content (S301). The multimedia apparatus checks whether it is possible to control the setting time associated with the operation of the screen saver (S302). Certain multimedia devices may be difficult to make changes since the operation of the screen saver is predetermined. If the set time cannot be changed, the virtual input signal described with reference to FIG. 6 is generated. Therefore, the process S252 to S271 is performed. Processes S252 to S271 will be replaced with the description of FIG. 6.

On the other hand, even when the setting time of the screen saver can be changed, the reproduction time of the content may not be calculated. For example, when the content does not provide information on the play time, or is played through streaming, the play time is not known. Therefore, it is examined whether or not the reproduction time of the content can be calculated (S303). As a result, if the reproduction time cannot be calculated, the processes of S252 to S271 are also performed.

If the set time of the screen saver can be changed, and the play time of the content can be calculated, the process of changing the set time shown in FIG. 2 may be performed. Therefore, the process S202 to S220 is performed. Processes S202 to S220 will be replaced with the description of FIG. 2.

8 is a block diagram illustrating components of a multimedia apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The term '~ part' used in this embodiment, that is, '~ module' or '~ table' means a hardware component such as software, FPGA or ASIC, and the module performs certain functions. However, modules are not meant to be limited to software or hardware. The module may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to play one or more processors. Thus, as an example, a module may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines. S, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and modules may be combined into a smaller number of components and modules or further separated into additional components and modules. In addition, the components and modules may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or secure multimedia card.

The multimedia apparatus 200 of FIG. 8 is a device having a function of playing multimedia contents or receiving digital broadcasting such as a digital TV, a digital set-top box (STB), a notebook computer, and a computer. The multimedia apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a play time extractor 210, a screen saver controller 220, a user input unit 230, a content player 240, a data receiver 250, and data storage. The unit 260 is included.

The play time extractor 210 extracts and calculates a play time from the digital broadcast content received through the data receiver 250 or the multimedia content stored in the data storage 260. An embodiment of calculating the play time in the play time extractor 210 is illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

The screen saver control unit 220 sets the screen saver setting time to the above playing time based on the extracted play time.

The user input unit 230 receives an input signal from a remote control, a mouse, a keyboard, and the like. In addition, the virtual input signal described with reference to FIG. 6 may be generated. Therefore, information about the screen saver setting time of the screen saver control unit may be acquired, and a virtual input signal may be generated at intervals shorter than the set time.

The content reproducing unit 240 reproduces the content received through the data receiving unit 250 and the data storage unit 260. The playback time may be stopped or the playback time may be moved backward or forward according to input signals such as stop, play, rewind, and fast forward, which are signals for interrupting play of content input through the user input unit 230. At this time, the screen saver control unit 220 to notify that the playback is stopped to restore the original set time of the screen saver so that the screen saver can operate properly. As shown in FIG. 6, the generation of the virtual input signal to the user input unit 230 is stopped to allow the screen saver to operate normally.

The data receiver 250 receives digital broadcast content. The received broadcast content is output through the content reproducing unit 240.

The data storage unit 260 stores multimedia content. In addition, the content received in a streaming manner may be stored. The content stored in the data storage unit is also output through the content reproducing unit 240.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalent concept are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be interpreted.

By implementing the present invention it is possible to stop the operation of the screen saver while playing the content.

By implementing the present invention, the user's viewing of content may not be disturbed by stopping the operation of the screen saver.

Claims (20)

Receiving a command to play content; Reviewing whether the execution of the screen saver can be controlled; If it is possible to control the execution of the screen saver, Calculating a playing time of the content; And Changing a set time of the screen saver such that the screen saver is not executed during the playback time. The method of claim 1, The reviewing step, Examining whether the set time associated with the operation of the screen saver is changeable and whether the reproduction time of the content can be calculated. The method of claim 1, If the content is content of a digital broadcast, The calculating may include calculating a start time of the content and a reproduction time of the content as variables, wherein the operation of the screen saver when the content is played. The method of claim 1, If the content is a multimedia file, The calculating step is a step of extracting and calculating the information stored in the header of the multimedia file, the method of controlling the operation of the screen saver when playing the content. The method of claim 1, The changing step Changing the setting time of the screen saver to a time longer than the playing time of the content. The method of claim 1, Playing the content further comprising the step of playing the content. The method of claim 6, After the changing step, If the playback of the content is interrupted, restoring a setting time of the screen saver to a value prior to the change. The method of claim 7, wherein If the playback of the content is interrupted, stopping the playback of the content or changing the playback time of the content back and forth. The method of claim 1, If the review indicates that the execution of the screen saver cannot be controlled, Extracting a set time of the screen saver; And And generating a virtual input signal at an interval less than or equal to a set time of the screen saver to stop execution of the screen saver during the time that the content is played. The method of claim 9, The virtual input signal is a method for controlling the operation of the screen saver at the time of playing the content, the virtual generated signal generated from the input device of any one of a remote control, a mouse, a keyboard. The method of claim 9, Stopping the generation of the virtual input signal when playback of the content is interrupted. A user input unit for receiving a command to play content; A reproduction time extraction unit for calculating a reproduction time of the content; A content reproducing unit for reproducing the content; And And a screen saver control unit configured to change a set time of the screen saver so that the screen saver is not executed during the playing time during which the content is played. The method of claim 12, If the content is content of a digital broadcast, And the play time extracting unit calculates a start time of the content and a play time of the content as variables, and controls the operation of the screen saver when playing the content. The method of claim 12, If the content is a multimedia file, And the play time extractor extracts and calculates information stored in a header of the file to control an operation of a screen saver when content is played. The method of claim 12, And the screen saver control unit controls an operation of the screen saver during content playback, changing the set time of the screen saver to be equal to or longer than the playback time of the content. The method of claim 12, And when the reproduction of the content is interrupted, the screen saver control unit restores the setting time of the screen saver to a value before the change. The method of claim 16, When the playback of the content is interrupted, the apparatus for controlling the operation of the screen saver when playing the content, including stopping the playback of the content or changing the playback time of the content back and forth. A user input unit for receiving a command to play content; A content reproducing unit for reproducing the content; And If there is no input for a certain time includes a screen saver control unit for driving the screen saver, And the user input unit generates a virtual input signal at an interval less than or equal to a set time of the screen saver so that the screen saver is not executed during the time that the content is played. The method of claim 18, And the virtual input signal is a signal of an input device of any one of a remote control, a mouse, and a keyboard. The method of claim 18, And stopping generation of the virtual input signal when reproduction of the content of the content reproducing unit is interrupted.

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